The Signal and COC share a common interest

College of the Canyons is not a long-term option for education, much like The Signal is not a long-term home for journalists.

Those that work at The Signal do not try to make that job a career, they are usually there for internships, part-time gigs or short-term options and are looking for experience in journalism and media.

“I felt the timing was right, I accomplished all I could at The Signal,” said a former employee at The Signal.

The same thing goes on at COC for their students, as it is normally viewed as a two-year community college before students pursue higher education at universities. However, about a dozen COC students have worked at The Signal over the last decade.

Ariel Thompson, who interned at The Signal and attended COC for two years is going to continue her education at San Diego State University in the fall of 2016 and major in public relations, a great example of people attending COC and working at The Signal going on to bigger and better things.

Students from COC see the opportunity at The Signal as a way to get started and gain much-needed experience for a company like Bleacher Report or ESPN where it takes a ton of experience and dedication to even obtain a job of that stature.

“Sort of like Mary Poppins,” said Austin Dave, chief of video at The Signal when asked about how he views his future at The Signal. Never settling and always looking for the next best opportunity for his future such as the Disney character “Mary Poppins.”

“My experience at The Signal was really enlightening,” said Joey Anderson, a part-time worker at The Signal and current featured columnist at Bleacher Report, a sport’s writing company that casts a nationwide audience. Anderson is quickly building a name for himself as a Pepperdine graduate, Signal sport’s reporter and now a featured columnist at Bleacher Report.

Other people that have worked at The Signal have found similar success onto bigger and greater things, such as Cary Osborne, previously of The Signal was a sports editor and assistant managing editor. Osborne is currently employed by his alma mater – CSUN and also employed by The Los Angeles Dodgers as Digital and print content coordinator where he writes about the team for their publication and website.

The Signal was founded in 1919 and its financial stability stems from Santa Clarita being one of the wealthiest cities in all of California. History shows that The Signal has not lost its appeal, as it serves local news to about 280,000 residents and as its growing population is projected to reach about 350,000 people in 2025.